From the Ashes
by Foxbear
Summary: The end of the Great War left Shockwave and Starscream broken and alone to plot their return to power in their isolation. The horror they create will shake two worlds, and bring pain to an already hurting family. Commission for Nightpounce /u/1135964/ (Who also did some editing)
1. Chapter 1

**From the Ashes**

 **A Transformers Prime Fanfcition**

 **Chapter 1**

"Expending energy to maintain political power directly is illogical when one's needs can be met by other, less resource intensive pursuits." The deep emotionless voice seemed to both fill the small laboratory and split Starscream's damaged helm apart at the same time.

 _Failure._

Slag it all to the Pit and back he should know better. Correction, he knew better. Even if Shockwave himself hadn't pointed it out in his infuriatingly condescending manner Starscream had enough medical experience to know that he should be resting his processor as well as his frame after the beating the Predacons had so gleefully given him. When it came to repairing damage Shockwave was a miracle worker, and after everything Strascream would still be functional, but the blunt force trauma to his processors alone would take months to heal.

 _Incompetence!_

Starscream groaned and slumped into the sling that suspended his battered frame above the vat below him. The healing energon bath swirled in blue-green patterns under the protective force field. Conversing with Shockwave might be causing him pain both physically and mentally but it was far, far better than the alternative. Silence was dangerous, for it hosted the enemy, the voice.

 _You are your own enemy._

For what had seemed like eons after the Predacons' vengeance Starscream had floated in a limbo of blackness, self pity, fury, and regret. Every single failure he had experienced sifted through his processor. The long torturous path that had led him from being the fiercely independent Winglord of the Seekers to being Megatron's cast off tool; broken and useless. The entire universe had conspired against him it had seemed. But he too had been a fool several times over. By the time Shockwave had summoned his fractured processor back to awareness of his frame Starscream had come to several crushing revelations. Many of these revelations were guided by the same sneering voice that had belonged to the mech he had called master.

 _And you only ever accomplished anything when you accepted your place as my slave!_

"But then your fate, the resources you are given are in the servos of whomever holds that political power," Starscream protested, dragging himself back to reality with great effort. He could not go back to the silence. To the humiliations his imagination now subjected him to: half memory, half invention.

"True," Shockwave conceded even as he manipulated the chemical flow to whatever his latest experiment was. "However if the ally is chosen with calculated precision, and you consistently supply what they require, then it becomes possible to manipulate their needs to compliment your own."

"You certainly should know," Starscream bit out in anger. "But where has that gotten you now? You barely have the resources to repair yourself and me. What ally will you turn to now that Megatron is," for a moment Starscream's vocalizer choked off as he remembered the last time he had seen the once proud leader of the Decepticons, "indisposed?"

Shockwave turned long enough to fix him with a mildly perplexed stare. "You."

The mocking voice burst out in Megatron's harsh laughter in the stunned silence that followed and for once Starscream found himself cackling along.

"I fail to see what is amusing about that statement," Shockwave stated. "Therefore I can only assume that you do not believe yourself capable."

"Capable of what?" Starscream demanded harshly, to cover up the sudden surge of fear he felt. Surely it was only his cursed imagination that Shockwave's servos drifted minutely towards the array that would cut off the medical support he still required. _Just as you did to me,_ hissed the voice, _how poetic_. Still he could not stop himself from continuing. "I am utterly restrained and dependant on your machines for what pitiful life I still possess. Why do you even bother?" He utterly despised how his voice rose to a desperate screech that sent waves of pain through him.

"The repairs will complete in due time." The red optic turned back to the task at hand. "When they do your Seeker coding will demand that you seek out others of your kind. Your pride will demand that you dominate those others. While I will be able to aid you in achieving and maintaining such dominance I would never be able to achieved it one my own. That is why I 'bother'." He paused and carefully considered the Seeker. "It is the same reason I bothered with Megatron."

Starscream fell silent with a hiss and glared down into the swirling patterns of the vat below him. Megatron's voice continued to taunt him but the movement and speaking had wracked his frame with pain and filled his processor with a dull buzz. Added to that there was something tugging at the edge of his awareness, but he was so tired. Starscream allowed his processor to wander, passively absorbing his environment. Blue and green swirled in the vat below him, showing where the natural and synthetic energon refused to mix. Shockwave's servos tinking softly against the glass of his test tubes. _You were only successful when following my orders._ Megatron, who had still ruled the Decepticons when he was obviously mad. A flicker of fury leapt up from the Seeker's spark.

How? How had a mad mech inspired the loyalty of so many? _Some are sparked to lead. You are not._ Something cold and pitiful curled up in his spark at that. Perhaps it was acceptance. After all, he had wielded great power once. As Megatron's second he could occasionally manipulate events to his liking. But there was always the bitter pill that Shockwave had been there first. Shockwave had known Megatron longer, as had Soundwave. They had poisoned the leader of the Decepticons against Starscream when he was but a Gladiator with a dream. Really the Seeker had never had a chance. And yet Shockwave was here now. Seemingly depending on Starscream to achieve that power he had failed to before.

 _Please,_ the voice sneered _. He knows you will fail to rally the Decepticons just as you did before._

It was true. Starscream's spark sank in despair and he stared listlessly at the junk pile that lay against the wall. There was a soft poof from the workbench and without hesitation Shockwave tossed whatever had failed onto a pile of scrap before turning to begin again. Something in the gesture stirred a question in the Seeker. If that junk pile was his fate why was Shockwave expending the resources to repair him in the first place? Starscream was not Megatron and Shockwave knew that. Shockwave wanted something from him but what?

"… _manipulate their needs…"_

A sudden thrill ran down Starscream's back strut. There was one thing and one thing alone that Starscream was better at than Shockwave: manipulation. Shockwave had only gotten so close to Megatron from knowing him when he was a gladiator, had only maintained that closeness through being able to provide what the machine of war needed. But he had depended on Megatron far more than Megatron had depended on him. There was no one else who would put up with the emotionless scientist. Starscream however, could worm his way into nearly anyone's good graces. Is this what Shockwave wanted? For the Seeker to find them a Lord to replace Megatron? Someone who Starscream could mould into the charismatic leader he could not be himself. Someone who he could then throw to Megatron if and when the Warlord finally came to his senses? For a brief moment hope flared in his spark only to be assaulted by that sneering voice.

 _And who exactly would you make a king in my place? Every single one of my lieutenants knows exactly what you are!_

It was true. Of all the mechs who held the physical and political power to reform the Decepticons none would willingly follow Starscream, not to replace Megatron. There were no up and coming weaklings who might be forged into a substitute either. The long war had solidified the positions of the mechs far more firmly than the caste system they had originally rebelled against. The Seeker's attention drifted once more. _Green, blue, tink, tap_. Starscream's servos twitched at a memory. That was the same sound his talons had made as he tormented that disgusting little organic Optimus had claimed as his own. If only it were that simple for them.

Starscream groaned and tried to twist his processor away from checking his chronometer for the nine-hundredth fifty-third time. He had just been injured for so very long. The inaction was beginning to prey upon his processor. It was why he baited Shockwave so frequently. It was far better to contemplate the annoyance of the scientist than to contemplate what would happen if Predaking discovered their lair and decided to finish what he had started; or worse, to dwell on what would happen when Megatron inevitably came to extract his revenge. A dark chuckle met that thought.

 _I will find you traitor. Find you and end you once and for all._


	2. Chapter 2

**From the Ashes**

 **A Transformers Prime Fanfcition**

 **Chapter 2**

Weeks passed and Starscream healed enough to lie on a proper berth. By the time he was walking Shockwave's patient and relentless investigations had revealed one of his old ships stocked with energon and medical supplies that the Autobots had not yet discovered. By the time Starscream could transform and fly the scientist had made a list of the Seeker armadas who were last known to be online and deployed far enough away not to have received rumors of the Decepticon's defeat yet. Now it was time for Starscream to earn his keep. Ever since Shockwave had handed over the planning and logistics to the Seeker he had been hearing the dreaded voice less but it still haunted him in the dark corners of his processor. Oddly enough, human music helped keep it at bay, the more annoying the better. Some immature human femme was yelping about betrayal and revenge in his comms at the moment. He was snickering over the trite concept when the voice suddenly cut though the noise for the first time.

"Starscream." Megatron's voice was deeper than usual, yet almost cautious.

Starscream paused only long enough to clench the consol in front of him, determined to ignore the oddly real voice.

"Starscream!" The voice was more insistent now, and there might have been a hint of desperation.

A bitter smile twisted the Seeker's faceplates. This was different.

A sudden curious chirp caught his attention, jerking his thoughts away from darker paths.

"The Seeker deaf?" a small voice asked full of curiosity.

Starscream snapped around at that. His imagination could never produce that much innocence. What he saw looming in the doorway nearly sent his still raw processors into a crash. Terror, desperate hope, and disbelief warred for dominance as his mandible hung open. There stood the source of his fear and the hope for his future.

"Megatron," he hated how his voice broke over the name. "My Lord and Master," he despised himself for bowing low and even more for how his spark leapt high. "We have been awaiting your return. Preparing for you to-"

"Enough!" Megatron rumbled. "I am no mech's Lord, and barely a master of myself."

Starscream stared at him in shock, vaguely aware that Shockwave had entered the room and was carefully observing the interaction. Disappointment settled in his tanks like cold poison. He clenched his servos, knowing that it was his own weakness that moved him to speak, to plead for the other mech to take control once more.

"Then why have you returned to us My Lo-Megatron."

For a long moment the bright purple optics searched the room warily. Megatron clearly did not feel safe here; there was something in his optics and stance that Starscream could not quite identify. Then the wide, carbon coated arms clenched around something they held and the Seeker recognized it. There was desperation, weakness in Megatron. Something seemed to snap in Starscream's processor and die in his spark. He took a step back.

"I have a request," the mech he had once known as Megatron stated cautiously.

"What is it that you require?" Shockwave spoke up finally.

Without answering verbally Megatron stepped hesitantly forward and opened his arms. Shockwave's optic brightened and his frame perked with interest. As if from a great distance Starscream noted the way that interest made Megatron stiffen and pull what he held closer to himself as if it was something precious.

"Is the sparkling injured?" Shockwave was asking even as he gestured to an examination table.

"To the best of my knowledge no," Megatron followed his direction hesitantly as he carried the small red and blue mech to the indicated surface.

"Then why have you brought him to me?" the question was as flat and toneless as anything Shockwave voiced but there was somehow a tight eagerness under the words.

Megatron hesitated and drew in a long vent before answering.

"I had thought," he began uneasily. "That when the Allspark vessel tore Unicron's presence from me that it had consumed all of the Unmaker's presence, but Orion, this little one," he indicated the sparkling that he had yet to let go of, "is showing some of the signs of contamination."

There was distress in the voice. Perhaps no other mech would have noted the tell-tale signs but Starscream had spent eons studying the emotions and moods of his master. Megatron feared for the life and health of the little red and blue mech that now sat cupped in his massive servos. Bright red optics looked eagerly around the chamber and it seemed that the little one was exerting a great force of will not to speak.

"The only way it would have been contaminated was if you yourself exposed him," Shockwave nodded in understanding even as Starscream narrowed his optics at the wince the words caused Megatron. "Clearly the process was not as through as Optimus intended." He paused and tilted his helm to the side. "What do you require of me?"

"Find out what is wrong with him," Megatron growled with growing irritation. "Fix it."

It was an order, like so many others the Warlord had given, but the Seeker sensed the uncertainty in it and bristled. This… this hollowed out shell was not Megatron. Whatever bluster he was managing was a front to cover the weakness that now inhabited the spark that had once held a world with its strength. Starscream just stared as he felt something die inside of him again.

"Very well," Shockwave was nodding as he reached out his servos for the sparkling who smiled up eagerly at him. "I will conduct what tests I am able in this environment. Starscream, there will be no need to prepare the recycling vat for such a small frame-"

With a snarl of rage Megatron snatched up the sparkling and held it protectively to his chestplates.

"You are not to harm him!" the former Warlord roared out.

Shockwave paused with his hand half extended before drawing it back to his side slowly and deliberately.

"I will be unable to gather enough useful information while the subject is online," the scientist stated in that infuriatingly emotionless monotone. "Your purification-"

"I did not come to you for my sake," snarled Megatron. "Orion is the one who must be healed!"

A long cold moment of silence filled the base while Shockwave studied Megatron as if he were some new specimen of cosmic rust.

"Understood," the scientist stated. "There is then, nothing I can do to assist you."

"Yes," Megatron growled, optics flicking back and forth between Starscream and Shockwave, "coming here was a mistake. I see that now."

"Where else could you go?" For a moment Starscream wondered who had asked the question and was shocked to realize it had been him.

Megatron fixed him with a penetrating glare for a moment but to his surprise answered the question.

"I will go to Ratchet. They will not harm a sparkling, any sparkling."

Starscream snorted and curled his faceplates into a sneer.

"You are a fool. How long do you think hypocritical Autobot honor will last under their hatred for you?"

There was a satisfying flash of fear in the former warlord's optics but he merely set his face and spun on his heel. Starscream and Shockwave watched in silence as the mech took three running steps out the door before transforming and flying off into the bright sky.

"I had factored on eventually regaining his aid but it would seem that the Lord Megaton is indeed lost to us," Shockwave commented slowly.

Starscream could almost hear the gears turning in the scientist's helm as he calculated the possibilities of this new situation.

"Megatron is offline," Starscream spat out. "He lies at the bottom of Earth's oceans. That, that thing is no more Megatron than Optimus Prime!" The Seeker was aware that Shockwave had turned back to his work but he could not stop the wash of words that spilled out of his spark. "Did you see how he doted on that contaminated scraplet? In any era of the Golden Age a little abomination like that would have been culled before its frame hardened. Why it was almost as bad as how the Prime would simper over his little organic-"

Suddenly the room fell silent and Shockwave turned curiously to look at the Seeker who stood as still as if he had been hit with the immobilizer.

"Optimus Prime's little organic pet…" Starscream finally murmured.

His optics brightened and he spun to face Shockwave.

"Do you still have access to those Alpha Seeker clone frames?" Starscream demanded.

Shockwave gave a curt nod.

"Then warm one up," the Seeker ordered with a fierce grin. "We are going to need a proper cage for our phoenix."


	3. Chapter 3

**From the Ashes**

 **A Transformers Prime Fanfcition**

 **Chapter 3**

Shockwave was slowly learning the proper methods of handling Starscream. First he had attempted to provide a structure for the Seeker to work in. The only positive result of that attempt was the fact that he had learned such methods never worked on Starscream. Ignoring the loquacious mech except when necessary for direct communication failed to produce the desired results either. It seemed as if Starscream needed to interact with, to argue with someone, in order to maintain proper mental health. Had he not needed the socially adapt mech in functional mental health Shockwave would have ignored him but as the current situation stood he would not be able to gather the assistance he needed on his own. Therefore he patiently replied to each repetitive and unnecessary statement and question that the Seeker posed.

"This plan is beyond excellent," Starscream enthused for the fifth time that day as he pranced around the bridge of the rapid response vessel they had commandeered. "It fills so many of our needs don't you agree my staunch ally?"

Shockwave diverted a minute amount of processing power to decide if that required a response and returned his full attention to the maintenance of the stored vessel when he determined it did not. Regardless Starscream prattled on just as he had in the recordings Shockwave had viewed of the time when Megatron had initiated a cortical-cyclic patch to determine Starscream's true motives. It seemed that in the presence of a scientist and with a shared goal clearly in processor the Seeker felt no need to conceal the ramblings of his psyche. His rather disturbed psyche, if Shockwave could apply what he knew of processors to Starscream.

"Yes, you see crafting a leader out of this pitiful organic might seem like a fruitless task to lesser minds," Starscream was really warming up to his subject, "but my superior intellect saw the benefits immediately. You see Megatron himself, when he was still the mighty Warlord that I followed with my entire spark," the Seeker posed dramatically and gave a regretful exvent, "not the fractured weakling Optimus made him to be in the name of Primus. But no matter," like an Alya of Torkulon changing his mental paths in a moment, "as I was saying Megatron himself has given us this plan, this opportunity. His cyber-signature marks Lord Alchem as his heir apparent. His servos are all over this plan. No one will dare question it."

Starscream gave a low chuckle that hinted at somewhat more madness than Shockwave was entirely comfortable with but eventually subsided into silence. The scientist appreciated these increasingly rare moments and relaxed into it. After far too short a time however Starscream began speaking again, as if he expected someone to be listening who needed his information.

"Not that this won't be difficult," he muttered with a dark frown. "This is the offspring of Optimus Prime we are talking about here."

Shockwave almost winced at the inaccuracy but continued working silently. This was not a mood which required him to respond.

"Jack is no doubt a clever little pest. He destroyed Airachnid's ship you know. With nothing but a stick and an ignition source."

Of course Shockwave knew. Had he not pulled that memory from Ratchet's processor himself?

"He traveled to Cybertron itself and survived. That is no mean feat; dodging Insecticon sentries, finding his way through the maze of broken buildings, fighting off hordes of scrapplets." There was a long pause in motion as well as voice. "And then he carried the Matrix home in the key to Vector Sigma." He said softly.

Shockwave turned to focus on him fully.

"As I have stated before Starscream," he interjected. "That is impossible."

"And yet you yourself pulled that information from Ratchet's processor," Starscream spat, wings flared in challenge.

"I had much time to study Alpha Trion and the old information on the Matrix and the Key to Vector Sigma." Shockwave stated. "The Matrix is a massive complex of living energy. The Key is simply that; something that allows access. While it might conduct the energy of the Matrix it is incapable of holding it for any length of time."

"You realize what that means given everything we know don't you?" Starscream hissed intently.

Shockwave stared at him impassively, waiting for the answer.

"The Matrix did get from Vector Sigma to Orion Pax. If the Key was incapable of carrying it than the only logical conclusion is that Jack himself carried it. That makes him a Matrix bearer; a Prime!"

Shockwave somehow managed to give off an air of skepticism without visibly shifting a single plate. Starscream chuckled and returned to the controls he was manipulating.

"Yes, you see what we have here is on one servo Megatron's chosen heir, and on the other the Prime's sparkling with a blessing from Vector Sigma. Yes this is the perfect plan."

Shockwave returned to his own work.

"We will have to be cautious though," the Seeker muttered darkly, "I know from both common rumor and hard personal experience that the little pest takes special handling."

Shockwave glanced at him curiously.

"Well one can hardly blame you for your ignorance," Starscream nearly purred. "He snuck on board the Nemesis when Trypticon was active and made off with vital intelligence right from under Megatron's sensors. When it came time to wrest control of the Omega Lock from Optimus and his minions it was my plan to capture the human children and use them as leverage. Now that," Starscream smirked, "was an inspired plan."

Shockwave returned his attention to his work but this time left a thought thread free to analyze what Starscream was saying. They would indeed need the best possible information on this Jackson Darby in order to bring their plans to fruition. He was no doubt being watched carefully by the powers on his world and Cybertron. While Starscream had shared what was promising to be a competent plan for his capture the scheme was still only in the theory phase. It was best to be aware of all possible factors and at the moment Starscream was their best source of information. So Shockwave listened closely while the Seeker narrated his account of the capture.


	4. Chapter 4

**From the Ashes**

 **A Transformers Prime Fanfcition**

 **Chapter 4**

"Lord Megatron was occupied on Cybertron with losing everything to Optimus and his Autobots." The sneer in Starscream's voice was obvious. "Between all the goodies they had captured in their artifact vaults and the rush of somehow getting their own spacebridge they took the expeditionary force to the Omega Lock entirely off guard. Of course Megatron's first instinct after his crushing defeat was to demand more troops. Wasn't that just like him." Starscream's tone change to a mocking imitation of Megatron's baritone. "Oh dear, my current so called plan failed so I will throw more troops at it and soak the ground with energon until it stops failing so badly." The Seeker ended his tirade on a snort and continued. "Well fortunately Soundwave and myself had been pouring over data back on board the Nemesis and had come up with an alternate solution. No one could ever accuse Soundwave of slacking at his task. He had been gathering data on those three pests since before Megatron's untimely accident with the spacebridge explosion. Once he located them it was sparkling's play for me to devise a plan to capture them."

Shockwave tilted his helm to the side to encourage Starscream to go on and get to the pertinent details.

"From the start I knew that Jack would be the most trouble." Starscream declared. "The clever little one that could code? He was small and weak even by human standards. The fiery little femme who hung out with the Wreckers? Pit spawn that she was all you needed to do to capture her was throw a challenge at her and she would come running. But if they were under Jack's protection he could find a way to get them to safety. For the most part they listened to him. So the first thing to do was split them up."

Shockwave nodded absently. Even given his limited knowledge of the tactics of warfare that was a logical conclusion.

"Soundwave located them by their comms." Starscream continued with unabated enthusiasm. "They had gathered in some park and were playing at some incomprehensible human game. Swings, I think they called it. It was as if they were mocking flight. In any case I ordered Soundwave to send a text message to the smallest one claiming to be his Guardians ordering him home and a similar one to the femme. As I had predicted she ignored the order and they all started walking home as a unit. I initiated another call to Jack's phone, pretending to be his employer. It was easy enough for Soundwave to mimic the voice of the older human from the logs on Jack's phone. It was clear that Ratchet had attempted to protect the devices but his work was no match for Soundwave. Jack was annoyed and dropped back so his conversation did not distress his two friends. I had planned to get more distance between them but something in Soundwave's delivery must have been…lacking. A few minutes into the call and Jack figured out something was wrong. Just like his soft sparked Guardian his first thought was for the others."

A dark chuckle rippled across the Seeker's armor at the memory.

"Oh you should have seen the terror in his face as he sprinted forward. He yelled out a warning but Knockout had already darted forward with the Vehicon and snatched up the femme and the little one. I was going to have another Vehicon snatch Jack but once he saw that they were captured he went between two buildings where he couldn't be followed. I suppose his plan was to make it to a free comm. And get a call out for help. But at that point Soundwave and I set out to capture him personally. It did take both of us. He was a fast and crafty pest but Soundwave went after him with those tentacles while Laserbeak chased him down the narrow passageways and into buildings. Finally he ran right out a door and into my servos."

Said servos clenched repeatedly as if reliving the pleasant memory. There was a look of satiated satisfaction and smug control on Starscream's faceplates as he went on.

"It was a fight to keep from breaking him at that point. He struggled madly, fighting every inch of the way until I showed him how his two little friends were already sealed in the specimen containers. At that point all I had to do was remind him that we didn't really need three hostages and that as the one who had carried the Matrix he was the most valuable. That shut him up very quickly. In fact I think the only thing he said after that was something along the lines of 'All my fault'."

The Seeker stretched his arms widely. "The rest you know," he declared. "Of course Optimus capitulating so easily makes far more sense now that we know it was his own sparkling he traded the Omega Keys for. It makes sense too what Jack meant by it being all his fault."

"That is, informative," Shockwave agreed. "Will there be other's we can use as emotional leverage in his new situation?"

"No doubt," Starscream huffed. "That kind attracts helpless little friends no matter where they go. It is the nature of the beast. Though I wouldn't suggest using that tactic for his capture. To many chances of him contacting assistance if he sees us coming. No this has to be a snatch and grab that does not connect to us in any way. If Arcee even suspects that we had anything to do with the disappearance of her partner she will tear the universe apart to find us."

"What then do you suggest?" Shockwave asked.

"How has anyone looking to deal in sentient beings acquired their wares over the eons?" Starscream asked with a shrug of his shoulder guards. "You get someone of the same species to do your dirty work for you."

"Who exactly will be willing to acquire multiple young individuals of Jackson Darby's phenotype and training for our purposes?" Shockwave asked.

"Multiple?" Starscream frowned.

"I will require several dozen test subjects to practice the procedure on if we are to successfully complete Project Phoenix." The scientist explained. "They need to be as close to Jackson Darby mentally and physically as possible for the data to be useful. Also I will require a wide sampling of the population for an attempt at generating enough energon to fuel our project."

"Hmm, mass trade in human flesh, skilled enough to pull it off without alerting the Autobots or their human allies. Cobra is probably the group we need to contact," Starscream mused. He flinched as he considered Shockwave's final words. "Dabbling in pink alchemy again my good scientist?"

"Indeed," Shockwave replied curtly. "I have noted several indicators in this species that they could very well be the viable source of bio-energy that I have sought. The most prevalent being this. If they are capable of forming Guardian bonds then there must be at least a base level of energetic similarity between their species and ours. Perhaps from their exposure to Unicron..."

Starscream nodded slowly as his processor worked over the implications of that. "I will be able to contact my connections on Earth by piggybacking a signal through the spacebridge when it opens," he explained. "It is unlikely that the Autobots in New Iacon have the capacity to guard against that. We should first make certain that our base of operations is set up, then acquire the humans. Come to think of it…Darby…that is an Irish name. I wonder," he turned back to the computer before him and began to code. "If my memory of Earth history serves me the Scottish and the Irish are reasonably similar."

Shockwave silently moved up beside him and pulled up the genetic profiles he had taken from Ratchet's processor.

"Indeed," he rumbled. "Either would be a genotypic match for an experiment involving Jackson Darby. Though I fail to see how this is pertinent to finding a slaver to capture them."

"Pride and history my dear compatriot," Starscream purred. "Take for instance one human I had quite a lot of contact with. James McCullen, known to the seedy underbelly of Earth as Destro. He takes great pride in the humans who managed to scrape a living off of the near barren rock he calls home. It would flatter his sensibilities to think that his genetic code makes for excellent warriors. Therefore he is likely to believe it. It shouldn't be too difficult to convince him that there is a need to gather many of them to resurrect, oh let's see I think the one they liked the best was project Bio-Viper or that one with the primitive armor suits." He continued to tap away at the controls with a growing sneer on his faceplates. "All I will need to do is manipulate a few bank accounts and place our order with him really. When we arrive on earth there will be a fine shipment of humans packaged and waiting for us to take with all the clues pointing to local terror organizations."

Shockwave nodded his approval of this plan. It seemed workable though the so called 'human element' was a mystery to him. His investment in Starscream was beginning to pay off. Besides the ascension of Autobot power there were other stirrings in the galaxy at the moment, other powers that his contacts were warning him of and both Earth and Cybertron were statistically likely to get caught up in the confusion, due to their respective species' tendencies to get involved in extra-planetary affairs as much as their convenient galactic locations.

The scientist quickly refocused his awareness on the Seeker when he heard Starscream mutter something but immediately recognized that the other mech was simply reciting a furious monolog.

"You will know my revenge Megatron. Sitting in your cave somewhere clutching that little scrapplet spawn like it is worthy of your time and effort. Trying to earn your way back into Optimus's good graces after he is already one with the Allspark. Yes," Starscream's face twisted into a look that had been know to herald madness, could Shockwave not follow the logic of his plans he would have grown concerned, "yes. I will have my revenge. This plan is yours. This abomination that we visit on Optimus' sparkling will be your doing."

The dark laughter that filled the ship seemed to eat into the walls like the most corrosive form of cosmic rust.

FIN


End file.
